by Ember Casey
William looks up at me and gives a small nod of acknowledgment, and I nod in return. Then I stride across the room to the pair of double doors that lead to the bedchamber.
It’s only then that Victoria tugs on my arm, trying to free her hand from mine.
“Maybe I should wait out here,” she says.
“No,” I tell her, refusing to let her fingers go. “I want you with me.” I need her strength beside me when I face whatever it is I’m about to face.
She gives the smallest shake of her head. “Your father… I have a feeling my presence won’t be very welcome. And if he’s already ill…”
Damn her, she’s right. As much as I want—need—her with me, my father won’t be pleased to see her with her hand in mine. The last thing I want to do right now is upset him.
Still, I have a hard time letting go of her hand.
“I’ll be right here with William and Sophia,” she says. “I promise I won’t go anywhere tonight.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, and instantly my body relaxes somewhat. At least I know she won’t run away from me tonight.
Slowly, I uncurl my fingers from around hers. I lean forward and give her a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you,” I murmur before stepping back and turning toward the door once again.
My hand is cold on the doorknob. But I’m going to be king someday—perhaps very soon—and that means facing the difficult things. I take a deep breath, set my shoulders, and open the door.
The first thing I see is my mother. She’s sitting on a stool right next to the bed, dressed only in her nightdress, and both of her hands are wrapped around one of my father’s. On the other side of the bed stands our head royal physician, Dr. Schwartz, fiddling with some medical device they’ve hooked up to my father. There are a couple of other members of the medical staff in here, too. And Stephan stands in the far corner, his face pale as he watches the scene unfold in front of him.
My eyes go to my father last. He’s lying on the bed with his eyes closed. I can’t tell if he’s asleep or unconscious or something else—but the pale, yellow cast to his skin makes me uneasy. He looks so frail—so old—lying there, and so unlike the terrifying man I faced across his desk only a short time ago.
It takes a moment for anyone to notice I’ve entered. My mother notices first, and she stands when she sees me, releasing my father’s hand.
“Andrew,” she says softly, coming across the room to me. She pulls me into an embrace, and as I wrap my arms around her I feel her tremble slightly. She’s barely holding herself together.
“What happened?” I ask her.
She pulls back, looking up into my face. Her eyes are nearly as red as Sophia’s.
“We were preparing for bed, and he just…” She blinks. “He was talking about Maximilian. About how poorly their treaty discussions have been going. He’s just been under so much stress recently…working himself to exhaustion. I’ve had to beg him to come to bed every night this week. I was sitting at the vanity and he was speaking and then…he just stopped.” Her eyes are filling with tears again. “I turned and he was so still…and then he was grabbing at his chest and falling over and…oh God, Andrew, I thought he was dying right there.”
She falls into my arms again, and I hold her as she sobs into my shoulder. I want to ask her more questions, but I don’t want to make her even more upset.
My eyes find Dr. Schwartz’s across the room. He slowly walks over to us.
“He’s stable right now,” he tells me softly. “We’ll be monitoring his condition closely.”
“What…” The question I want to ask freezes on my lips. What are his chances? Will he die? Finally, I find my voice again. “How critical is his condition?”
Dr. Schwartz frowns. “It’s difficult to say. But your father is strong. He won’t go without a fight.”
A tremor moves through my mother, and she stifles another sob against my shoulder.
“Thank you, Doctor,” I say, stroking my mother’s back. It’s almost alarming how calm my voice sounds. Inside, I’m in turmoil. Lost. Confused. I want to shout and throw things. I want to hide myself somewhere dark and alone and far away from this.
You’re not allowed to do that, I remind myself. You have to be strong for your mother. For your family. For your country. You are going to be king, after all.
I have to figure out what I’m going to say to the people of Montovia—as the crown prince, it is my responsibility to inform them of the condition of their king. My stomach clenches. I was already dreading my apology speech tomorrow. Now it’s going to be even more terrible.
I’ll have to talk to our press secretary tonight. Contact the senate and ensure that they know the governmental protocol for this situation. Alert our ambassadors and dignitaries and tell them exactly what information they can or can’t share. Ensure that the news media doesn’t start spreading rumors… And figure out how to notify my other siblings, too, if someone else hasn’t done so already. Nicholas should be easy, but God knows where Leopold is. My head is already throbbing.
And that’s not even considering the things that must be done within this household. My mother is in no condition to help—not that I would ever ask or expect her to—but I might be able to convince William and Sophia to help with that. There’s far too much for one man to do.
And all I really want to do is lock myself in my chambers with Victoria. To hold her in my arms and escape all of this for a few hours. Maybe in the morning it will all start to make sense.
Don’t forget, I tell myself. You should also consider the possibility that your coronation might occur in a matter of days. If your father dies, you must step into his responsibilities as soon as possible. Preliminary preparations should be made, just in case…
Just the thought makes me feel ill again. Dizzy.
I release my mother.
“I…I need to go handle some things,” I tell her gently.
She nods and pulls away from me, dabbing at her eyes. “Of course.”
“I’ll be back here as soon as I can,” I tell her.
She goes back to her seat next to the bed, and I turn and walk back into the parlor.
Victoria stands up the moment she sees me. I long to go to her and take her into my arms, but I maintain my composure.
“William,” I say, “Has the Head of the Senate been notified of the situation yet?”
“I’m not sure,” he says. “But I can find out.”
“Please do,” I say. “And tell him there will be an emergency senate meeting at seven o’clock in the morning. I plan to be there myself, but if for whatever reason I can’t, I’d like you to go in my stead.”
He nods. “Understood.”
“Sophia,” I say, turning to my sister. “I’d like you to make special arrangements for our guests tomorrow. Princess Justine and Lady Clarissa and the others will have many questions, I’m sure, and they are still guests in this palace—we do not expect them to hide in their rooms all day. Make arrangements for their meals.” I almost turn away from her when another thought hits me. “Make arrangements for all of our meals—and make sure everyone eats. Especially Mother.”
“What am I supposed to say to Princess Justine and the others?” Sophia asks. “What should I tell them?”
“I’ll leave that up to you,” I tell her. “In times like this, we are all representatives of our family. I trust you to know how to handle this.” Even though Sophia, as the youngest, has had less experience in the area of politics than the rest of us—and even though she has a bit of a mischievous streak—I know she can handle this.
“I have much business to attend to,” I tell them, “but I’ll have my mobile phone on me at all times. Call me if you have any questions or if anything should arise.”
They both nod and hurry out of the room, which leaves me alone with Victoria in the parlor.
I’m across the room to her in three strides. My arms go around her, pulli
ng her hard against my chest.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I murmur into her hair.
“Are you all right?” she asks. “Is he…?”
“He’s stable.” I say without letting go of her. “But I have a long night ahead of me.”
“What can I do?”
I tighten my grip on her. “Just stay. Be here with me.” My hand drifts up her back. “God, Victoria, I want nothing more than to lock ourselves away somewhere and block all of this out.”
“I know.”
I inhale deeply, breathing in the scent of her. I know I should move, know I have a whole night of responsibilities ahead of me, but I don’t want to.
“I’m sorry our date was ruined,” I tell her.
“It wasn’t ruined,” she says, pulling back. “And you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Still.”
She doesn’t say anything for a long moment, and then, “Are you still giving your speech tomorrow?”
“Yes. I should. Only now I need to figure out how to tell everyone about my father without causing nationwide panic.”
“I can help with that,” she says. “I can write something.”
“You can?”
“If you’d like. I want to help.”
“Yes,” I say. “Yes, I’d love the help.” I gaze down at her, warmth spreading through me. In the wake of all of this sadness and fear, she still gives me hope.
I don’t want to let her go.
“May I kiss you?” I ask her softly. “Just once?”
She hesitates. Then her eyes fall closed and she gives a single nod.
Slowly, I dip my head and brush my lips against hers. It’s a soft kiss, but behind it is all of my fear and all of my hope.
It’s a small thing, a kiss. But I know this one is going to help me through the long night ahead.
Victoria
I return to my room and compose another draft of the speech I’ve already written. The royal family has their own speechwriters—not to mention a full staff of publicity people—but doing this makes me feel useful, even if my words never see the light of day.
I can only imagine what Andrew and his family are going through right now. And I know I have no business being here, even if Andrew and I are friends. The whole friendship thing we’ve been talking about for the past few days is complete bullshit anyway, and he certainly doesn’t need the complication of having me around with everything else going on.
I pack the rest of my things and set my suitcases just inside the bedroom door. I’m not going to make a big production of leaving, but I’m also not going to try to slip away unnoticed.
Trying to navigate my way through the palace is pretty much out of the question now—there are too many people around, even though it’s the middle of the night. I’d like to try to find Andrew to tell him goodbye, but there’s no easy way to get to him.
I should try to sleep until morning, but there’s no point. My mind won’t stop racing, mostly with thoughts of what might have happened if only things could have been different.
I choose one of the antique books of poetry that line the shelf on the far corner of the sitting room and try to lose myself in it. I’ve only read a few pages when there’s a knock at my door.
My heart aches—not only because this might be the last time I see Andrew, but because of the circumstances. Because he shouldn’t be thinking of me at all. His focus needs to be on his family. His country.
When I swing the door open, it isn’t Andrew standing there—it’s Sophia, holding a silver covered tray similar to the one Andrew brought earlier tonight.
Her eyes are red and swollen, but she still forces a small smile. “Andrew asked me to bring this for you. Can I come in?”
I nod and step aside to allow her through.
She sets the tray down on the coffee table in the middle of the sitting room before she turns to me. “It’s just chamomile tea and some pastries. But if you want something else—”
“No, this is fine. It’s more than fine. You definitely don’t need to be thinking of me right now.”
She forces another smile and lets out a long breath, her shoulders dropping. “I know he’s trying to keep me busy, bringing tea to everyone.” She nods and clasps her hands together. “It’s probably a good thing, though. Me staying busy. I might do something stupid again if I don’t.”
My brow furrows with confusion, but I nod.
“I…” She winces, and tears form in her eyes. “Can I tell you something?”
“Of course.” I nod and motion for her to sit down in one of the nearby chairs.
She frowns and stares at me for a few seconds before she drops onto the seat.
I sit down across from her. “Can I pour you some tea? If you’ve been out serving everyone else for the past few hours, you probably need it as much as I do.”
Her lips tick up into the smallest of smiles and she nods.
I pull the lid off the tray and pour each of us a small cup. I hand one across to her and motion for her to take one of the pastries as well.
She takes one of the buns and begins pulling it apart before she pops a piece into her mouth, setting the rest back onto the table. She leans back in the chair, closing her eyes—it looks like she’s savoring the bite, but I think there may be more to it than that.
“Is…is there anything I can do, Sophia? For you or your family? If there’s anything, just name it. I think—”
Her eyes flutter open and she shakes her head as she swallows. She takes a sip of tea, grasping the cup between her hands after she’s done, almost as though she’s warming them. “You can do something for me.”
“Anything.”
She nods. Her gaze falls to the side of the chair and she twists her mouth around as her eyes squeeze shut for another moment. She finally looks back over at me. “I’m not sure how to say it.”
“Well…” I blow out a long breath. “Usually when I have something difficult I need to ask of someone, I try to just blurt it out. If I think about things too long—”
“It isn’t that, though.” She winces again. “Okay. I’ll just say it.” She sighs. “What happened today is my fault.”
“Oh, Sophia…” I shake my head. “I’m sure that isn’t true. I mean, I’m pretty sure there’s no way you could have caused what happened to your father today—”
“No, not that.” She sets her cup down on the table and stares down at her hands. “What happened to Andrew. I mean…the story about the scepter leaking out. I may have…” She looks up at me with tear-filled eyes. “I may have mentioned it to someone in the press in Austria last week. I also may have done it on purpose.” She winces again. “I thought…I thought it would help him—I honestly did. I thought that if he could see he was human that he might open his eyes.”
My heart hammers in my chest. I’m not really sure what to say, but I don’t even get my mouth open to respond before she continues.
Her gaze falls to the floor. “I saw how he looked at you. I saw how you looked at him. And I know I’m not supposed to be playing matchmaker, but he was being so stupid with the ridiculous show he was putting on. And then when he invited more women instead of just calling the entire thing off and admitting he loved you…” She looks up at me again. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt him so. Had I known how upset he was already… Had I known he was thinking of throwing himself from the roof…”
She shakes her head before she drops it in her hands.
I sit with her in silence until she lifts her head again and looks at me.
“I’m…” I pause. I have no idea what the answer is to this revelation—if there even is one. “I’m not sure what to say, Sophia. I’m not sure that any of it matters at the moment, though. You should probably tell Andrew what happened at some point, but today probably isn’t the best day for that.”
She nods. “I only hope that the news about Andrew didn’t hurt Father.” Her eyes fill with tears again. “I’m not sure I ca
n live with myself if it did.”
I want to tell her that her father was headed down this road long before the news came out in the press this morning about Andrew, but I don’t. Nothing I say is going to reassure her, but I also don’t want anything I say to make her blame herself, either.
There’s another knock on the door, and I walk over to answer it.
This time Andrew really is standing on the other side. His eyes are also red, but it looks more like it’s from sleep deprivation than from tears.
I motion for him to come in, not saying anything.
He freezes mid-stride after I close the door behind him. “Sophia?”
She turns to him, her shoulders drooping. “I served every female in the palace, just as you asked. Mother refused, but I’ve asked Stephan to see that she eats at breakfast.”
He nods and turns to me with a look of confusion.
I shrug and take my seat across from Sophia again.
He walks over and sits next to me. “We still have yet to locate Leopold. Did he or Elle mention anything to you, Sophia?”
She shakes her head, her gaze fixed on her hands that she has folded in her lap. “No. They were keeping to themselves before they disappeared. Mother asked me to leave them alone.” She lifts her gaze, but not to her brother. She looks at me instead. “I know it’s difficult to believe, but I was respecting their privacy.”
Andrew turns his head from side to side, frowning. “Leopold is refusing to answer his phone. It’s almost as though they didn’t want to be found.”
The three of us sit in silence for a moment before I speak. “Did anyone check with the clinic where they met?”
Andrew chuckles. “Of course. Of course that is where they’ve gone.” He turns his gaze to Sophia. “Sister, I know it is a lot to ask, but would you consider—?”
She stands, interrupting. “I’ll be on a plane within an hour.” She gives me a grim nod. “It’s the least I can do under the circumstances.”
“I would ask William, but he’s attending the senate meeting for me in a few hours. And Nicholas is already on a plane home from school.”